


Heart of the Flames

by Tenryu_no_Hoko



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Ableism, Ableist Language, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Gods & Goddesses, Amputation, Blind Character, Discrimination, Dysfunctional Family, F/M, Families of Choice, Gen, LGBTQ Character, Multi, Post-Tenroujima Arc
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-15
Updated: 2020-04-25
Packaged: 2020-09-01 05:33:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 21,209
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20252968
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tenryu_no_Hoko/pseuds/Tenryu_no_Hoko
Summary: Long ago, when Gods and Titans battles for dominion over the heavens, a human appeared; one who was able to seal the titans on Earthland, ending their Divine War. But 400 years have passed, and the seals are breaking. The Titans are waking up, the ancient war is starting once again, and it's up to Romeo, Chelia, and their friends to stop Earthland from becoming the new battlefield.





	1. The Lady In The Mountain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was betaed by FanFiction user Iket45.
> 
> Please be sure to leave kudos and comment down below. Comments are especially helpful since you can tell me what you liked about the chapter and what you think sucked.

When one tries to describe the origins of the universe, "apathetic" typically isn't a word that comes to mind. Yet truthfully, it should be the first one to do so. Because before the universe, there was nothing; no matter, no ethernano, and no emotion. Hot and cold didn't exist, nor did the concept of "existence." There was only the void, and all that was present was "absence."

But then, for reasons still unexplainable, there was a spark. A glimmer of light in an endless emptiness, for that, was all that was needed. This light grew and grew, becoming matter, becoming ethernano, becoming the world, and becoming love.

From the world and from love, life blossomed. Beings with a thousand hands, designed to help shape the universe. They were the birth of stone and flesh, they were the birth of water and blood, they were the birth of spirit and soul, they were the birth of air and life, and they were the birth of fire and heart.

Depictions of these beings varied over the millennia. Some would say they've retained their thousand arms, while others believe they've reverted to two. Some would say they have many faces, while others believed they've only ever had one. Some will say these beings never existed. The only consistency in their depictions was their size. Beings capable of shaping the world would have to be gargantuan; they would have to be "Titans."

How or why the Titans came into being is still unknown, just as it is unknown why they decided to shape our universe in the first place. Because despite being the supposed shapers of the universe, very few religions seem to worship them, and even fewer even acknowledge their existence. As far as history was concerned, they were nothing more than a whisper.

Yet one day, four-hundred years ago, the whisper turned into a scream. All across the globe, different nations watched as giants fell from the heavens. They stood and watched as the stone was turned to dust. They sat silently as the water turned to ice. They fell quiet as spirit faded. They did nothing as the sky fell. They turned their heads when the embers were extinguished. They all sat idly by as the Titans were returned to the void.

And for four-hundred years, they would remain silent.

This _would _be where the story ends, but a team of volcanologists researching strange activity in the now-extinct Mt. Pelepele of the Stellan Mountain Region discovered that the story was only just beginning. For deep within the mountain, they sensed something that could only be described as a "heartbeat."

Steadily, this "heartbeat" gained mass, resulting in tremors across the land of Stella. They were practically nothing at first, but soon their intensity grew exponentially, as did the creature within the mountain. People realized that if nothing was done, Mt. Pelepele would be torn apart, resulting in catastrophe for the people of Stella.

This is why, from all across Ishgar, from the technologically advanced Pergrande Kingdom to the magical powerhouse of Fiore, mages were called in to face the Titan. Two of such mages were Totomaru, a former member of Phantom Lord and the Elemental Four, who now worked as a teacher for prodigious young fire mages, and Jura Neekis, the Fifth Wizard Saint and the Ace of Lamia Scale. Together, they and a few hundred other mages were tasked with the mission to bring down the Titan.

But this story isn't about them. No, the real story starts with the two children hiding in the back of their carriage...

**June 19, x785**

The almost-ten-year-old beneath the tarp wriggled his body halfway out into the open air, catching the first glimpse of sunlight he's had since he left the Stellan hotel. Ever since he left Fiore, he had been careful to remain just out of his teacher's sight. Getting caught would mean getting sent back home, and that was the _last_ thing he wanted now.

He pulled himself the rest of the way out of the tarp. His unkempt purple hair bounced lightly with the carriage as it traveled up the mountain road. Looking out the back of the vehicle, he watched it pass some old, decayed statues of what appeared to be a six-armed woman with a stone mask atop her head. Her face was gentle and kind looking, while the face on the mask was that of a demon.

Poking his head out of the carriage, he sees the top of the mountain. He assumed it'd be hot once he got up there, but thankfully he and the rest of this carriage were under the protection of his teacher's _**Heat Resistance **_enchantment. Besides, a little heat wouldn't stop him. According to all the conversations he's overheard, _that's _where the Titan will emerge. His fingers _tap tap tapped _against the wood, no longer able to sit still now that he was this close!

A rumble shook the mountain, almost knocking the boy right out of the carriage. Thankfully was able to hold on, but the same couldn't be said for the rest of the carriage's contents. Bags scattered glass shattered, a little girl shrieked...

...

...Wait a minute…

The carriage stops for a second, but the boy pays it no mind as he goes to check out the source of the sound. It was on the side of the carriage where a man he heard was named Jura Neekis was keeping his stuff. He believed his big brother had told him about someone with that name, and how he aided in the battle against the Oracion Seis.

Like him, whoever had also stowed away had hidden beneath a tarp. '_Great minds,' _the boy thought, curling his fingers around the edges of the person's hiding place. In one swift motion, he heaved the tarp into the air, unveiling the second stowaway-

-who proceeded to punch him in the face.

"_Kyaa!"_

_*WHAM!*_

The boy reeled back, tripping himself into some of his teacher's equipment and making a noise that was just a _bit _too loud for his taste. He heard a cracking sound as well when he was hit, though he didn't believe it was his teacher's stuff. The sharp, stinging sensation he felt only confirmed that his nose was broken. He bit his lip to keep himself from screaming, and he flinched when he brought his hand to his nose. Pulling it away, he saw that his entire left hand was marked red.

He lifted his gaze, trying to get a good look at his assailant, and that's when he saw her.

Charcoal eyes met with sapphire. The boy gulped, because the person he just uncovered was a girl, and, if he was being honest with himself, a cute one at that. Unfortunately, he was getting to an age where he was supposedly going to start taking an interest in girls, and apparently that was correct. He momentarily cursed these new, stupid hormones. He hoped she mistook the redness on his face for blood.

The girl pulled back, appearing remorseful for what she did. She hid her eyes beneath her amaranth hair and pulled her arms close to her light blue heart-patterned dress. Like him, her pale skin revealed that she hadn't seen sunlight in a while. The boy assumed she was around his age, if maybe a year older, which only served to make him jealous of the fact that her punches felt like a goddamn freight train.

She was about to speak, but a pair of voices caught their attention. The carriage stopped, and the two heard the sound of feet hitting the stone ground. Quickly, the girl grabbed the boy's arm and yanked him under the tarp with her. They stayed like that for a full minute as the person from the carriage gave a quick look through the back, then returned to the front. It was only when the carriage started moving again that she let go of his arm.

They both pulled away from each other with red cheeks. Thankfully the tarp didn't let in much light, so they didn't have to worry about the other seeing it. "Who are you?!" the pair whisper-yelled, pointing at each other. "Who am I? Who are _you?!"_

The boy groaned. Rubbing his temple, he whispered, "Ugh, we're not getting anywhere like this!" He glared at the girl. "Listen, alright?" He placed his left palm over his heart. "My name is _Romeo Conbolt_. What's _yours?"_

The girl hesitated for a moment, not making any eye contact whatsoever with Romeo. She appeared conflicted about something. '_Sh' _and '_Ch'_ sounds kept floating out of her mouth. Finally, with an accent Romeo didn't recognize, she answered, "Sherria Blendy." Sherria pulled her face away from the boy, anxious about how he'd react.

"'Sherria,' huh?" he repeated, and Sherria flinched, "Eh? Did I pronounce it wrong?"

She looked to see he was genuinely concerned about accidentally mispronouncing her name. A small smile broke across her lips, and she shook her head. "No. It was actually one of the better pronunciations I've heard."

"So then what's wrong?"

"You don't know?" Sherria raised an eyebrow.

"Should I?" the boy shrugged, curious about whatever the hell he was missing.

The girl chuckled, shaking your head. "No, maybe you shouldn't." She reached out her hand. "It's nice to meet you, Romeo-kun."

The boy nodded, grabbing her hand and shaking it. "Nice to meet you too, Sherria."

Sherria smiled, but it quickly turned into a frown. She leaned in far past the boy's personal space, causing his face to turn red.

It didn't help that she seemed quite focused on his lips, either.

"You're bleeding," she stated, "Let me take care of it." Sherria lifted her hand directly over Romeo's nose, and from it poured a vaguely familiar pink light.

After a few seconds, the pain in Romeo's nose completely vanished, and after a few more, he could no longer feel it bleeding. "Woah…" he gasped. "Is that… healing magic?"

"Yep!" Sherria nodded, dispelling her magic and retracting her hand. "I'm a Sky God Slayer, after all."

Romeo's jaw dropped. "You're a _God Slayer?!" _he yelled, forgetting he had to be quiet. Sherria and him rushed to put their free hands over his mouth.

The pair waited a few seconds. Upon realizing that no one heard them, they removed their hands from the boy's mouth.

"That's so cool!" Romeo whispered, his eyes lighting up. He knew Dragon Slayers were badass, so he could only imagine how badass a _God _Slayer could be! "How did you learn your magic!? Did you learn it from a God?!"

Sherria shook her head, giving a disappointed sigh. "No, unfortunately, I didn't learn from a God," she explained before a cocky smirk crossed her face. She jabbed a finger into her chest, proudly exclaiming, "I taught it to myself!"

Romeo's eyes widened. "You mean you created it?!"

"Hm?" Sherria blinked, then furiously shook her head. "Oh, no, no, no! Not like…" She paused, blushing and looking for the right words. "I learned it from a book, but I didn't have anyone to help me learn it."

"Ah." Romeo nodded. It wasn't as cool as being taught by an actual God, but he had to admit that learning Slayer Magic all on your own was an impressive feat in itself. Of course, he didn't know how proficient she was in her magic, but if her punch and her healing were anything to go by, she had to be at least a little skilled.

"So then why are you here?" Romeo questioned, "You already have God Slayer Magic, so I doubt you need to learn Titan Slayer Magic as well."

"Titan Slayer Magic?"

"Wouldn't that be what it's called, if it's being taught by a Titan?" Romeo shrugged. "Like how magic taught by dragons is 'Dragon Slayer Magic?'"

Sherria rolled her eyes. "By that logic, my magic should be 'Book Slayer Magic.'"

Romeo put his hands on his hips. With an upturned chin, he exclaimed, "Hey, I'll bet your magic is effective against Gods _and _books!"

"Oh, yes._" _Sherria held her hands up like claws. "Whole libraries cower in fear when I approach them!" She exclaimed, giving the most menacing face she could while giggling.

Romeo laughed as well. "Anyways," he said, as a few straggling chuckles escaped his mouth, "Why are you here? Are you trying to learn Titan Slayer Magic, too?"

Sherria shook her head. "Nope!" she responded, popping the 'p.' "I'm not here to learn from the Titan…" She leaned in close to Romeo. Her eyes were like a cobra preparing to strike its prey.

"I'm here to _kill _it."

The carriage stopped.

Romeo stared wide-eyed at the girl in front of him. There was no way he misheard her; she really said she was going to _kill_ the Titan, the one _he _came here to learn from! And from the look in her eyes, he knew she was _deadly_ serious.

"H-hold on, you can't kill it!" the boy stuttered, "I need it to teach me magic!"

"Well, _I _need to kill it!" Sherria retorted.

"_Why?!"_

"Why do you need it to teach you?!"

"So I can save my family!" Romeo yelled, "So what's your reason?"

Sherria was taken aback. She hoped his reason would be selfish, yet instead he was doing this out of love. It almost made her feel ashamed of herself. But she had her own reasons for doing what she was doing, and she couldn't just ignore them. "I-uh…" she groaned, turning away from the boy and crossing her arms, "I just- I have to, okay?!"

Romeo threw his left hand in the air. "That's not a reason to kill something! That's just senseless murder!"

Clenching her shaking fists, a tear fell from Sherria's eyes. '_And what would __**you **__know about __**that?**_'

"Well then, I guess it's just up to who gets to the Titan first," Sherria challenged, grinning smugly, "We've been stopped for a while, and I think I heard Jura-san and that teacher get out already, so we're probably already at the top of the mountain."

The two stared each other down, daring the other to make the first move. The only sound in the air was the sound of a steady beat, and neither were sure if it was coming from the mountain or their own hearts.

*_Ba-dum*_

_*Ba-dum*_

_*Ba-dum*_

_*Ba-dum*_

_ ***BA DUM!*** _

A shockwave knocks the carriage to its side. The young mages are thrown around like clothes in a dryer, slamming against the carriage walls and being buried by luggage.

Sherria was the first to recover, and she took full advantage of the fact. With one blast of black winds, she knocked Romeo to the back of the carriage, and with a second, she propelled herself outside.

Romeo groaned as he stood back up, rubbing the back of his head where he hit the carriage wall. "Dammit!" His fists lit up with crimson flames, his charcoal eyes burning with rage.

He followed Sherria out of the carriage, then froze. His jaw fell to the floor. Had he been able to look away, he would've seen Sherria and the many mages that had been called here in a similar state. But he couldn't. His eyes were focused on the thing that undoubtedly had enough force to knock the carriage over, and maybe enough power to knock the whole _world_ over.

Sticking out of the mountain was a pillar of lava and white flames, easily taller than even the highest skyscraper. From the top of it sprouted five more far smaller pillars, each of a different size. These five pillars bent and shifted, taking on a shape that almost resembled a fist. The lava cooled around the white flames, covering them in fresh, glassy obsidian.

The "fist" opened itself back up, revealing itself to actually be a hand, and for the entire "pillar" to be one huge, black glass arm. Its palm came crashing down on what used to be the edge of the volcano, causing all of Earthland to shake as it made contact, narrowly avoiding crushing the several nearby mages and creating an air-rupturing sonic boom as it landed.

More rumbles tore through the mountain. Five more massive arm-pillars exploded from the earth, each once being encased in black glass and gripping the side of the volcano. Giant cracks leaking lava formed in the side of the mountain—and Romeo was thankful it wasn't the one he was standing on. But many of the other mages weren't so lucky and wound up either falling down the mountain or into one of its newly formed cracks. The mountainside bulged outward, being ripped apart like paper as the body of the giant finally broke free, releasing waves of heat that broke through even Totomaru's enchantments.

Like her arms, her body and head were entirely encased in obsidian. She had broad shoulders, on which she held her top pair of arms, and a muscular build. The name "Titan" absolutely suited her, in terms of both size and stature. She was so massive, it looked as though she was wearing the mountain as a skirt.

Cracks formed in her skin, leaking out the white flames within her. Around her body, they took the appearance of dancing flames, and over her left breast, they took the shape of a white triangle. On her scalp, they released a plume of flaming white hair, so big, bright, and hot that it could have replaced the sun.

On top of her head, she wore what could've been mistaken for a black demon mask, had the mask not lifted itself up to reveal a second mouth with rows upon rows of razor-sharp teeth. Both of her pairs of eyes were a searing white, but the bottom ones were dazed, while the top seethed with anger. Her bottom mouth split open, releasing a thunderous sound that strangely reminded Romeo of a yawn.

She lifted one of her top hands to her temple, now only using her bottom pair of arms to support her weight. Her eyes scanned the landscape, as though trying to understand where she was.

The mages surrounding her stood in a mix of awe and terror. But one by one, they broke from their dazes and remembered the job they were called here to do. Soon every single one of them was attacking the Titaness with everything they had. However, the Titaness seemed unfazed. Not even Jura or Totomaru seemed able to lay a scratch on it.

Romeo found some relief in this. If no one could kill her, then she'd still be alive for her to teach him magic! All that remained was getting her attention. He supposed climbing atop one of her hands could do the trick. Looking to one of the hands she was using to hold herself up, he saw that once again someone else already had the same idea as him. Gritting his teeth, he ran after the girl.

Sherria leaped atop the Titan's hand with a wind-propelled jump. It was roughly as tall as Jura was, so she was already used to jumping this high. She took a deep breath in, then exhaled. Clenching her fists, she mentally prepared herself. "Okay, Sherria, like you practiced…"

A dark power emerged from deep within the young girl's body, escaping in the form of black winds that gathered on her hands. Sherria feels the heavens themselves bending to her will, and the mere thought of it both terrifies and exhilarates her. She lifts the winds over her head, where they gain a more feather-like appearance. From a distance, it looked almost as if she herself had black angel wings sprouting from her body;

She became a heavenly harbinger of death.

"_**Sky God's Secret Art," **_she breathed, trying to reign in some of her power. Her body trembled beneath the weight of her own winds. She feared that if she didn't release her attack soon, she would be swallowed by it. Glaring at her target, she thrusted her hands forward.

_ **"Heavenly Gathering of Clouds!"** _

The force of her own attack knocked Sherria right off the Titan's hand. Thankfully, Romeo was there to catch her, but she was far to winded to be able to thank him. They both looked up to see what her attack had done.

The Titan yanked her hand off the ground, lifting it up to her lower face. The black wings had cut right through the Titan's skin, leaving a pair of gashes trailing right across the back of her hand. Steam leaked from the corners of her trembling eyes. Her whole body quivered, sending subtle tremors throughout the land. She looked over to where her hand was, searching for the divine magic wielder who attacked her, until her eyes finally found Sherria.

She clenched her trembling and bleeding hand into a fist, creating hammer of justice with which to judge her attacker. White flames enveloped her hand as she lifted it into the air. She brought it down like a comet towards the two children, her demonic face letting out an enraged;

"_**RRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!"**_

This time, Romeo reacted faster than Sherria did. He tossed the girl as far behind him as he could, and with his left hand in the air, he generated a shield of purple flames.

Sherria lifted her head just in time to see the Titan's hand crashing down. It landed just in front of Romeo, sending the two of them flying back in a wave of white flames. Her eyes were pried open as she watched Romeo be swallowed in the inferno. This was the last thing she saw, as a burning liquid—the Titan's blood, spilled from her own attack—struck her face.

**July 1, x790**

A teenage boy clad in black stood barefoot atop one of the massive statues overlooking Domus Flau. The wind rushed through his dark purple hair, which fell to his shoulders in a braid. His charcoal eyes scanned a stadium that was absolutely alive with the sounds of thousands of people cheering on their favorite guilds. He'd probably do the same, but for some reason his favorite guild hasn't been competing for the last few years. He wondered why. For some reason, he couldn't find anything about that guild when he researched the mages of Fiore.

Even still, he probably wouldn't have minded just staying here and just watching the Games. But he had a mission, one that was very close to its end.

"Journey's almost over, huh?" a gruff, melancholic voice stated.

The boy turned to his partner, a grey, antlered rabbit with a pair of brownish wings poking out from under his green hooded cloak. He nodded his head, smiling beneath the mask covering his lower face. "Yup," he answered, looking back out towards the arena, "Just have to get two more books, and we'll have them all…" His left side stung as he thought of the second and final book he'd have to get, the book of the girl he'd met long ago...

Silently, he activated the onyx bead necklace, letting its soothing warmth wash over him.

The wolpertinger lowered his head, his long ears drooping.

"Hey, what are you so sad about?" the boy asked harshly, turning off his necklace, "We made a deal, and we both held up our ends." He looked away from his partner. His hair cast a shadow over his eyes. "No need to be sad about it now."

The two sat in a depressing silence for a moment, until finally, they heard the announcement that it was time to do what they came here for;

_"And for the third battle of the day, we have a face-off between the two strongest guilds in Fiore! Sabertooth's resident Lightning God Slayer Orga Nanagear, going head-to-head with Lamia Scale's… Toby Horhorta…?"_

_"...Who?"_ asked the second announcer.

_"The um… Is he the one with the eyebrows?"_ the first one replied, _"Oh, who cares! Contenders, take your places!"_

The boy glanced over at his partner, a cocky grin evident in his eyes. "You heard him."

The wolpertinger shook his head. "This is a bad idea," he said, as his wings spread from his back. He gave one final groan of reluctance before finally flying the boy down to the arena.


	2. A Bloody Reunion

"_And for the third battle of the day, we have a face-off between the two strongest guilds in Fiore! Sabertooth's resident Lightning God Slayer Orga Nanagear, going head-to-head with Lamia Scale's… Toby Horhorta…?  
_

Wave after wave of disappointed groans erupted from the stadium crowd. They were all excited to see the two strongest guilds in Fiore duking it out in the arena, but after hearing who the second contender would be, they were all collectively going;

"_...Who?"_

"_The um… Is he the one with the eyebrows?" _asked the announcer, "_Oh, who cares! Contestants, take your places!"_

The two did as they were told. They took their places in the arena, both prepared to fight for the honor of their guilds.

Orga stood tall and silent, with his arms were folded. To the untrained eye, it would look as though he were concentrating intently on the match to come. Like he was preparing himself for what would be a great battle.

However, to the more observant viewer…

… they'd realize he just fell asleep.

"HEY!" screamed the dog-like mage, balling his hands into fists, "YOU CAN'T JUST FALL ASLEEP!"

"..._Hrmph_?" Orga opened his eyes and looked up at the one angry dog man, then turned his head to the announcer's booth. "Did we start yet?" he asked, already bored.

"_Uhm… sure…" _answered the announcer, sweat-dropping.

"Very well." Keeping the same unenthusiastic expression, holding his hands as though he were holding a ball. Black sparks crackled to life in his palms, taking the form of an ever-growing dark orb. Once the dark power in his hands reached its zenith, he thrusted them out, unleashing his lightning in the form of a black beam.

**"** _ **120mm Black Lightning Cannon!"** _

A _CRACK_ing sound ripped through the air. The sock around Toby's neck had been vaporized, leaving behind only burn marks. Toby himself looked like he'd been his with his own paralysis magic, and event that had taken place an unfortunate number of times. With what could barely be called a whimper, he fell to the ground, his last view being of the medical staff surrounding his body.

Within the stands, an amaranth-haired woman visibly cringing at the display. "Well, it wasn't the best match," Sherry Blendy lamented, watching as her guildmate was carried off by Domus Flau's medical staff and as Orga basked in the cheers from the crowd.

Her younger cousin groaned. Though she loved her friends, truly, she knew Toby had no chance of winning from the start. "First we lose today's event, and now we've lost the battle, too." She turned her head to her cousin, giving Sherry what would've been a glare had it not been for the yellow blindfold covering the top half of her face. "Y'know, it might've been a better matchup if it were _me_, at least for the fight," she suggested, "God Slayer vs. God Slayer and all? Maybe it _would've _been me down there, if you had let me participate."

The older Blendy sighed, putting one hand against her temple. "Chelia, you know you can only participate if you're a guild member."

Chelia crossed her arms. "And _who's_ the one not letting me join the guild?"

"I said you could join when you turned sixteen!" Sherry yelled, clearly not for the first time. A few non-Lamia Scale members turned to look at the bickering cousins, but everyone who _was_ a guild member was more than used to it by now, and knew better than to get involved. "It's only a few more months away. Besides, I don't think it would be such a good idea for you to join the guild now, not with the God Hunter still on the loose."

'_Oh, the God Hunter.' _Chelia groaned. She had heard plenty about _him. _Supposedly, he was a mage with a strange form of fire magic who had committed several crimes across Ishgar in the last few years, but the ones he's recognized most for are his multiple assaults against God Slayers. According to news reports, any God Slayer he crosses paths with would be beaten to a pulp and have their Book of God Slaying Magic stolen. Whether any of that was true had yet to be proven in Chelia's mind, but one thing was certain:

_He _was the main excuse Sherry used for why she couldn't join the guild.

But Chelia knew the real reason her cousin wouldn't let her join;

"Do you even know what he could do to you? Especially with your condition?"

"_Condition?!_" Chelia stood up, and the winds around her became much stronger. "Just fucking say it, Sherry! I'm _blind! _My eyes were incinerated by that Titan, and now I _can't see!_ I will _never _be able to see _again!_ Is that so difficult to say?! _Is it!?_" she seethed, her breath growing more rapid and the wind pulsing along with it.

Sherry stepped away from her cousin.

"And do you think I don't know how dangerous being a guild mage is?!" The Sky God Slayer continued to rant. "I saw it first hand!" Her fists clenched to the point where her nails dug into her palm. The image of a boy, holding up a **_Purple Shield _**with his left arm flashed through her mind. If she'd been capable of crying, tears would've been falling down her face. "I know what I'd be getting myself into! So why do you insist on not letting me join?!"

"I'm just trying to protect you!" Sherry yelled.

"I don't need you to! I—" She stopped mid-sentence and looked up. Something was wrong with the winds. There was a gap in them, one shaped like a person moving through the air. Chelia concentrated her magic on the moving shape, and sure enough, she saw someone flying over the arena!

The girl took a deep breath, knowing more important things were at hand. As always, they'd continue this conversation later. "Sherry. Look up," she calmly requested.

Trusting her cousin's sight, the older Blendy did as she was told. Sure enough, she saw the figure too. It was a boy with a pair of wings coming from his back, flying towards the center of the arena where Orga still was.

His bare feet landed a few meters in front of the Lightning God Slayer. He appeared to be in his mid-teens, though was rather short for it. His dark purple hair was worn in a long braid that fell past his shoulders. His "shirt," if the pitch-black garment could be called such anymore, had its entire upper-left portion and midriff ripped away, showing off well-tanned skin and toned muscles, but also burn scars reaching from his left cheek to down below his waist, a missing left arm, and a peculiar white triangle tattoo over his heart. His pants didn't fare much better; they were a similar black color to his shirt, with small tears and stitch marks sprinkled all over and being held up by an ash-grey sash. His face was obscured by a cloth half face mask with monster fangs sewn onto it, revealing only empty charcoal eyes.

The only valuable thing he appeared to have was the obsidian-black bead necklace he wore. It had one large bead with the image of a hearth with a heart-shaped flame carved into it.

The wings on his back were not actually his, and instead belonged to the strange, antlered rabbit creature on his back, who was only wearing a hooded green cape and a sheath for a dagger. After dropping the boy in the arena, he flew back up in the air, acting as the boy's lookout.

"So you're Orga Nanagear, Sabertooth's Lightning God Slayer?" drawled the boy, stepping closer to the lightning mage, "I must say, for someone who's supposed to be in the strongest guild in the country… I'm not too impressed."

Orga was surprised, both by the boy's sudden appearance and his statement. "Oh, really? You just witnessed me taking out my opponent in a single attack, yet you're not impressed?" He tilted his head. "If that's the case, then tell me, who might you be, if you're so much more 'impressive?'"

A cocky grin crossed the boy's face as he jabbed his right thumb into his chest. "_I'm... _the _God Hunter!_"

…

…

…

"_HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"_

Nearly the whole stadium erupted with laughter. Everyone had heard of the "God Hunter" one way or another, from stories both true and made up. To them, he was a mage who was meant to be feared. He wasn't some one-armed, tiny, homeless-looking child.

The only two people who weren't laughing were Jura and Chelia, and it was for similar reasons.

Jura was a "Wizard Saint," a title that couldn't possibly be earned without the ability to size up one's opponent. Be it their physical prowess or magical capabilities, the ability to get a read on an opposing mage's strength was essential.

As for Chelia, after the loss of her eyesight, she had to develop a new way of seeing: a spell she invented called _**Aero Vision**_. By using her magic to sense the flow of the air around her, and feeling where the wind could and could not blow, she could create a 3-dimensional silhouette of the world around her. But that's not all her new sense of vision did; because the air around her became magically charged, it caused other magical objects to sort of… well, _tingle _would be the best way she could describe it. And she learned that the more _tingley _something was, the more magic power that something had.

So when the two of them stared down at the self-proclaimed God Hunter, what they saw was an immense amount of magic power, capable of rivaling even some of the best mages in their guild.

A pool of anger welled up within Chelia.

The God Hunter groaned. "_Are you done yet?"_

Slowly, the laughter did die down. The God Hunter took a deep breath and sighed, "Finally." He eye-rolled, looking to the Lightning God Slayer. "Look, I'm here to challenge you." He pointed at Orga. "If I win, I get your God Slayer Book. Deal?"

Orga chuckled. "Hmph. And what if I win?"

The boy put his hand in his pocket, grinning smugly. "Oh, you won't."

The older mage let out a 'hmph' and glared. "You certainly seem confident."

"That's because I know how to defeat God Slayers," The God Hunter bragged, "In fact, I'm _so _good at it that I'll be able to wipe the floor with you-" He shot a finger-gun at Orga. "-_single-handedly!_"

* * *

"Did… did he just make a pun?" Sherry asked her cousin, watching the events unfolding down in the arena. After hearing no response from the younger mage, she looked over to where her cousin was sitting, only to see an empty seat. In her frustration, she accidentally shouted her cousin's real name;

"_Sherria!"_

* * *

"So what do you say? You wanna fight? Or is the big bad tiger just a wittle scared-y cat?" The God Hunter baby-talked.

A tick mark appeared on the lightning mage's forehead. "Fine! If it will stop your chattering, I'll accept your challenge!" Orga sucked in a large breath of air, then unleashed it as a blast of black lightning. **"**_**Lightning God's Bellow!"**_

The teenager didn't even try to dodge. He didn't need to; the attack missed him by a few inches. All it did to him was give him slightly messier hair.

Orga's eyes widened when he saw his attack missed. He was a mage of Sabertooth, dammit! And a God Slayer, no less! He shouldn't be _missing _his attacks! He should be taking his opponents down in one strike!

Meanwhile, the God Hunter was smirking. Orga fell for his trick hook, line, and sinker. His mom had taught him all about the effects emotions can have on elemental magics, especially the more volatile ones such as fire and lightning. Anger, for example, had the ability to strengthen an elemental attack, but at the cost of losing control over it.

So it was a bit of a dice roll to rile up the Lightning God Slayer, but one that seems to have paid off.

"Wow, that was a nice breeze. Thanks, I needed that." The God Hunter stared down his opponent. "But I think it's time the real battle got started. _**Fire Titan's Palace!**_" He stomped his foot on the ground. Flames spiraled out of his foot along the ground until they reached the arena wall, where they erupted and formed a dome of white flames around the arena.

The temperature within the dome rose rapidly. Sweat formed all over Orga's body. He gasped for air, but to no avail. His consciousness faded in an out, and darkness was beginning to overtake his vision.

The God Hunter, meanwhile, was completely unaffected by the sudden change in heat. He took full advantage of Orga's state and rushed at the Lightning God Slayer with his fist coated in white flames, screaming **"**_**Fire Titan's Inferno Fist!"**_

His attack lands right in Orga's gut. The sounds of bones cracking could be heard as the air was knocked from the older mage's lungs.

The Titan Slayer continued his barrage of right hooks. One after another, they slammed into the God Slayer's body, leaving behind seared and bruised skin as the by pushed the older mage backwards. He didn't stop until he heard the sound of electricity crackling near Orga's fists.

**"**_**Lightning God's Tempest Fist!"**_ Orga gasped as he launched a lightning-covered fist at the boy.

Magic circles appeared under the boy's feet, shooting out jets of white fire and propelling the boy over his opponents head. Just barely he'd dodged Orga's _**Tempest Fist**_**,** causing the lightning slayer to stumble forward. Still, above the lightning slayer, he dispersed the flame jets on one foot, and let the flames on the other wrap themselves around his other foot, bringing it down on the Lightning God Slayer's back.

**"** _ **Fire Titan's Crushing Kick!"** _

The feeling of a spine being cracked traveled up the God Hunter's leg. Using Orga as a springboard, he was able to launch himself away from the God Slayer and send the God Slayer face-first into the ground.

But the boy knew he couldn't stay too far from his opponent. Orga specialized in long-distance attacks. He'd only keep his advantage by restricting the battle to short-range.

* * *

Outside of the battlefield, people began to see the self-proclaimed "God Hunter" as a legitimate threat. Rune Knights were hard at work trying to dispel his **_Fire Titan's Palace_.** At first, they thought it was getting _a little _smaller, but they soon realized that wasn't the case.

In reality, the God Hunter was pulling the walls of the dome closer to himself, attempting to shrink the battlefield.

* * *

Ban was the first to notice that the dome was shrinking, and decided to fly a bit lower. Doing so caused him to see what looked like a fourth person on the battlefield. Before he could think about it, though, he ended up being swallowed by a black vortex of wind.

Orga stood up, stumbled, then stood up again just in time to realize the wall of fire was moving closer towards him. He knew what the God Hunter was doing, and had no plans of letting it continue. He began to charge up another _**Black Lightning Cannon**_ when something behind the boy caught his eye.

Meanwhile, the God Hunter was too focused on preparing to counter Orga's attack to realize there was something behind him. So when the lightning mage stopped charging his attack, he only had a few seconds to realize something was up before;

**"**_**Sky God's Barrel Kick!"**_ was all he heard before feeling something with the force of a freight train hit him in the side of the head.

The boy was sent flying, nearly hitting his own flame barrier. It had stopped moving due to his concentration being broken by whatever just hit him.

He felt something trickling down the side of his head. Dazed, he propped himself up in an effort to see what that something was. He had to squint to see, but what he saw broke him from his stupor completely.

It was _her!_

There was no mistaking it; from the hair color to her saying "Sky God" in her attack name, he knew she was the one he met on that volcano all those years ago. Her sense of style doesn't seem to have changed much, with her reddish-pink hair tied up in pigtails and her top still being adorned with a heart. He found it odd that she was wearing blindfold over her eyes, but assumed she had some type of eye condition. Whatever it was, it certainly didn't stop her from kicking him in the head.

Romeo found himself unsure of what to do next. He wanted to say something to her, but his tongue caught in his throat. What was he meant to say, anyway? He was a wanted criminal, and she was, well, from the looks of it, ready to kick his ass! Her face was hard to read due to the blindfold, but if the amount of magic power she was exerting was any indication, then she probably wasn't here for a nice and happy reunion.

No, from what he could sense, she was out for blood.

_His _blood.

It wasn't the first time he's met someone with a vendetta against him, but the fact that it was _her_, and that she was radiating this pure, unadulterated _hatred _towards him, added a personal touch to it. A sharp, stinging sensation came from his left side, though he was sure he wasn't hit there.

"Woah! Woah!" The boy screamed, raising his hand in surrender, "Why are you-?"

_ **"Sky God's Bellow!"** _

"_Gyah!_" Romeo jumped to the side, landing on the ground and narrowly avoiding the blast of black winds.

It was clear that talking wouldn't solve anything.

"I don't know why you're doing this," he gritted his teeth, and the God Hunter stood up, "But if you wanna fight, I'm all for it!" A burst of flames propelled him towards the pink-haired girl. He covered his right hand in white flames and screamed **"**_**Fire Titan's Inferno Fist!"**_

But like a leaf in the wind, Chelia was able to move out of the way just before it could make contact. With one hand she was able to grab his arm just below the flaming part and pull him around in circles. Black winds generated around them.

**"**_**Sky God's Dance,"**_ Chelia said as she released the boy, allowing the winds to pull him several meters into the air.

The God Hunter wondered how the hell she was able to do this. Under normal circumstances, his **_Titan's Palace_** would render his opponents exhausted right from the start. So then how...?

It was then that he noticed the slight distortions around the sky mage's figure. If he had to guess, he'd say she was controlling the temperature of the air around her, cancelling out the heat from his dome entirely. But something like that should require a lot of concentration, yet she can do it so easily? How?

As he tried to figure this out, he realized he'd forgotten something very important.

**"**_**120mm Black Lightning Cannon!"**_ Orga called out, releasing a beam of black lightning the God Hunter had no hope of dodging.

Or so he thought. But before it could hit him, Chelia released him from her winds, making him plummet to the earth below. He landed on his left side, definitely feeling something cracking. Looking over, he saw the pink-haired girl had temporarily changed her target from the Fire Titan Slayer to the Lightning God Slayer.

She flew at the green-haired man with a fist coated in black winds. **"**_**Sky God's Gale Fist!"**_ she roared as she clocked him in the jaw, knocking him backward into the God Hunter's wall of flame and making him fall to the ground. His skin was seared red, and a tooth fell from his mouth.

"Sorry, but _I'm_ going to be the one who takes him out," Chelia stated even though she knew Orga was out cold. Turning around, she saw her original opponent get back up.

"You must be pretty confident in yourself, taking out your ally like that," the boy said, but even as he said it, something felt wrong. She didn't seem like the other overly-confident God Slayers he'd dealt with in the past. No, looking at the Sky God Slayer once again, he saw an uneasiness in her stance, but also a lot of determination. "No, you're not confident at all. You're just trying to prove something." He chortled at the idea.

But Chelia didn't get the joke. She believed he was laughing at her. _'So what if I have something to prove? Doesn't everybody!?'_

"What's so funny?" she sneered.

And he answered, "You're just like me."

_That _pissed her off. She vacuumed in some of the air around her, then released is as a **"**_**Sky God's Bellow!"**__, _roaring out a spiral of black winds at her opponent.

The fire mage jumped to the side, using his flames to propel himself further and narrowly dodging her attack. Mid-jump, he ripped off his mask and answered back with his own, **"**_**Fire Titan's Howl!"**__, _breathing a beam of white fire at his opponent.

Chelia tried to defend but failed. The beam of white flames hit, burning her skin. Thankfully Sherry bought her reinforced clothing, so her dress only suffered minor scorch marks.

The God Hunter followed up his attack with a _**Fire Spin**_. A magic circle appeared beneath his opponent. From it sprouted a tornado of white flame, engulfing the pink-haired girl. While he believed Chelia was distracted, he took the opportunity to run at the girl, preparing another _**Inferno Fist**__._

But what the God Hunter failed to realize was that even engulfed in flames, Chelia could still see his attack. She dodged and grabbed him once again. Yet something was wrong.

She didn't feel any heat coming from the God Hunter's fist. Instead, the heat she felt was coming from his _other_ side!

**"** _ **Fire Titan's Inferno Fist!"** _

A burning mass of pure ethernano slammed into her jaw. She released her grip on her opponent, bringing the hand to her jaw. She felt her skin being seared, and her jawbone had definitely fractured.

A pink light appeared around her jaw. She felt the crack in her jawbone close up, and the red mark on her face disappeared. The light faded once it was fully healed. No other lights appeared. Chelia didn't feel it was wise to waste her magic on the other injuries she sustained; those were minor in comparison.

What she did want to focus on was how her opponent's magic power and body shape had changed. His body was tingling like nothing she'd ever seen before, especially around his upper body and necklace. And on his left side, she felt something that wasn't there before.

What she sensed wasn't an illusion. The God Hunter's upper body had been lit up with magic power. His tattoo glowed a bright white, and a white flame patterns appeared around it to cover the scarred area. A magic circle appeared on the boy's shoulder, and from it sprouted a left arm of solid white flames.

The boy gave a toothy grin, his charcoal eyes lighting up into a brilliant orange. He slammed his fire fist into his human palm. "It's been a while since I've had to use two arms!"

Though his words were jovial, Chelia knew what they meant;

He wasn't looking down on her. He was taking her seriously! He was actually going to go _all out _against her! She hadn't faced an opponent like this since she lost her sight!

Her heart raced. She couldn't stop herself from smiling as she prepared for her opponent's next attack.

The God Hunter lit his right arm on fire. He ran at Chelia, screaming, **"**_**Fire Titan's Dual Chop," **_as he tried to hit her with a pair of flaming karate chops.

She was able to dodge the first one, but not the second. The God Hunter's flame arm managed to land a direct his on her, knocking her onto her back.

Chelia realized The God Hunter was probably able to stretch his flame arm. Fire wasn't normally solid to begin with, so it stands to reason that even "solid" flames don't have to have a rigid form.

The Titan Slayer appeared above her, this time prepared with another **_Inferno Fist_**. His left arm shoots at the girl, but she manages to roll to the side, causing his fist to go through the surprisingly thin stadium floor.

Chelia picks herself up off the ground. Black winds swirled around her hands. Thrusting her arms forwards, she sent out multiple back currents that merged into a single, massive black whirlwind. **_"Sky God's Boreas!"_**

Seeing it coming but unable to dodge, the God Hunter does the only thing he can think to do: try to endure it. He stretched and thrust his flame arm into the ground to act as a tether. With his other hand, he protected his necklace.

The wind slashed through his skin and clothing, covering his body in shallow gashes and leaving him with only enough clothing to remain semi-decent.

Fatigue started to hit the boy; he used more energy fighting Orga than he thought. Even worse, he knew the pink light Chelia used on herself was healing magic. If she could heal herself, then he knew a drawn-out battle will result in him losing.

Yet at the same time, he didn't want the fight to end. Most of the fights he's had till now were all the same: his opponent will underestimate him, then before they know it he's knocked them to the floor with a barrage of _**Inferno Fists. **_This, however, wasn't anything like that.

Adrenaline filled him as he yelled, **"**_**Fire Titan's Arms!"**_

Two white magic circles appeared on both of his sides, creating four total. Fire shot out of both, creating pillars of flame that molded themselves into the shapes of four more white flame arms.

The God Hunter stretched out his four newly acquired limbs. He blasted flames out of his original two, rocketing himself straight towards the Sky God Slayer. She tried to move, but he predicted it. All six of his arms aimed right at her.

"_**Fire Titan's Six Palm Strike!"**_

A rapid succession of six blazing palms hit Chelia in the center of her chest. The final one—delivered by the God Hunter's human arm—hit her with a point-blank blast of fire. it burnt a hole through her clothes where it landed and burned her flesh red.

A pink light appeared over the wound. As the boy suspected, the light healed her. But it also appeared to require concentration to use.

He knew now was not the time to relent attacking. He reeled back his three right fists, then shot them forwards in a **"**_**Fire Titan's Triple Inferno Fist!"**_

Chelia tried to guard with her left arm, but only managed to get it broken in the process. The trio of fists sent her stumbling backward.

The God Hunter followed her, preparing another _**Triple Inferno Fist**_. As he started delivering it, he couldn't help but notice her blindfold. Peeking out of them were the tiniest traces of something he was all too familiar with;

_'Are those... burn scars!?'_

The moment of hesitation was all Chelia needed. It allowed her to blast the God Hunter with a point-blank, **"**_**Sky God's Bellow!"**_

Not only did the God Hunter gets sent flying backward, but she allowed herself to be launched backward as well.

The Fire Titan Slayer smashed into the wall of his own _**Titan's Palace**_, causing him to feel what it was like to be burnt for the first time in a long while.

Noticing this gave Chelia an idea. Once she was far enough away from her enemy, she started to heal her arm. There were several _snapping_ and _popping_ sounds as her bones slid back into place.

As soon as the light faded, she gathered the wind in her hands and raised them over her body. The black air started to take the form of feathers. **"**_**Sky God's Secret Art-"**_ More and more feathers appeared until finally, she launched the attack at her opponent in the form of six spiraling wings.

**"** _ **Heavenly Gathering of Clouds!"** _

The God Hunter had only seconds to react. All five of his flame arms merged into one another, forming the shape of a shield. The razor-like winds hit the shield, shoving him back into the wall of his _**Titan's Palace**_**.**

Chelia's _**Secret Art**_ showed no signs of relenting. His body was burning, and very soon he'd be crushed by his own flames. He had no choice but to dispel the flame barrier, causing him to go crashing into the arena's brick wall.

The Titan Slayer's four extra arms faded to nothing. He used his remaining two to get himself back up. His steps were wobbly, and blood dripped down his face, but his grin and the literal fire in his eyes told the world he was still raring to go.

Chelia was in a similar condition. She'd used quite a bit of magic power in that _**Secret Art**_, and all of her unhealed injuries were starting to get to her. The air was suddenly a lot harder for the Sky Slayer to grasp. Yet she still stood tall, heart beating, fists clenched, prepared to fight. She hasn't felt this much excitement while battling in a long time.

Ban, meanwhile, was waking up to the sound of Rune Knights approaching the arena. He knew that the second they stepped foot here, his friend and him were screwed. Flapping his wings, he picked himself off the ground and rocketed over to his friend, grabbing him and pulling him into the air. "Time ta go, Romeo!"

The name caught Chelia by surprise. _'"Romeo?" But, there's no way... he can't be..."_ she thought, shaking, 'R_omeo is..._ Her train of thought abruptly derailed once she realized that the God Hunter was escaping.

"Oh no you don't!" she yelled, running after him.

"Sorry, but-" Romeo looked at all the Rune Knights flooding the arena. "-we're gonna have to cut this short!" He pulled off his necklace and aimed the hearth image at Chelia. A white wave of heat flowed out of the necklace towards the pink-haired mage.

A strange feeling of warmth embraced the Sky God Slayer. She felt as though she was an infant once again, and she was being swaddled in a motherly embrace. Yet at the same time, it felt wrong, like the embrace wasn't for her, and the mother wasn't her own. She tried to fight against this feeling, but the warmth of the embrace, mixed with her fatigue, made it a losing battle. She fell to her knees, panting and in need of rest.

The raven-haired boy put the necklace back on, and took one final look at the girl he knew was Sherria. A wave of guilt washed over him. He wasn't sure what he'd done to make her hate him on what seemed like a personal level, but the blindfold around her eyes gave him a guess.

So he did fail to save her that day, after all.

The necklace's effects disappeared as soon as the God Hunter left, leaving Chelia energetic but unsure of what to do next. She knew Sherry was right behind her giving her the tongue-lashing of the century, yet she was hardly paying attention. Instead, she looked to the sky, where the God Hunter had disappeared.

* * *

**New Spell List**

This is a thing I'll be doing in each chapter that either debuts or expands upon any non-canon spells used in this story. Cannon spells won't be included. Spells are organized by person, in order of who used their spells first and the order the spells were used.

**Orga's Spells:**

_**Lightning God's Bellow:**_ The standard breath attack for a Lightning God Slayer.

_**Lightning God's Tempest Fist:**_ The standard punching attack for a Lightning God Slayer.

**Chelia's Spells:**

_**Aero Vision:**_ A spell Chelia created herself as a replacement for her eyesight. By feeling where the air around her is incapable of flowing, she's able to make out the shapes of solids and liquids. And because the magic she puts into the air reacts with other magic, she's able to "see" and read the power on magical entities, objects, and attacks. This spell works in a large radius around her whole body, effectively and ironically giving her almost no blind spots.

**_Air Manipulation:_** A basic air mage skill that Chelia has spent the last five years honing. One of its uses is the ability to control the temperature of the air around her.

**_Wind Cloak:_ **A form of air manipulation that allows Chelia to place a protective barrier around herself.

_**Sky God's Barrel Kick:**_ The standard kicking attack for a Sky God Slayer.

_**Sky God's Gale Fist:**_ The standard punching attack for a Sky God Slayer.

**Romeo's Spells:**

_**Fire Titan's Palace:**_ A spell creates a dome of fire, trapping anyone who's inside it. The inside of the dome becomes superheated and can be fatal to anyone who's not heat resistant or not able to control the air temperature around them and manage their breathing.

_**Fire Titan's Inferno Fist:**_ The standard punching attack for a Fire Titan Slayer.

_**Empathic Sense:**_ A passive ability that allows the user to gain a limited sense of the emotions of the people around him.

_**Fire Titan's Crushing Kick:**_ The standard kicking attack for a Fire Titan Slayer.

_**Fire Titan's Howl:**_ The standard breath attack for a Fire Titan Slayer.

_**Fire Titan's Arms:**_ A spell that can create multiple arms out of fire. In its basic form, it gives Romeo a replacement for the arm he lost at the cost of very little magic. However, in its strongest form, it can give him a total of six arms like his mother, but at a rather large cost of magic.

_**Fire Spin:**_ Like the Pokémon move I based this on, it briefly traps the opponent in a swirl of flames, inflicting only small amounts of damage.

_**Fire Titan's Dual Chop: **_A spell Romeo can only use when at least the basic form of _Fire Titan's Arms _is active. With both of his arms flaming, he attacks the opponent with a consecutive pair of karate chops, stretching out his fire arm if necessary. These arms are all capable of being stretched and molded to Romeo's desire.

_**Fire Titan's Six-Palm Strike:**_ A spell Romeo can only use when the strongest form of _Fire Titan's Arms _is active. With six blazing palms, Romeo strikes the same spot on the opponent six times, the final time delivering a point-blank fireball against his opponent's skin.

_**Fire Titan's Triple Inferno Fist:**_ A spell Romeo can only use when the strongest form of _Fire Titan's Arms _is active. It's like his normal _Fire Titan's Inferno Fist_ but multiplied three times.

_**Flame Shield:**_ A shield of flames, sometimes created from Romeo's flame arm(s).

_**Magic Item:**_ _**Hearth Necklace: **_A magical necklace containing a mother's love for her son.


	3. Aftermath

The trip back to the hotel was a lot longer than the trip from it, Chelia decided.

The armored carriage plodded down the cement streets of Crocus at an agonizing pace. All nine of the Rune Knights surrounding her—two to her sides, five right in front of her—kept their eyes locked on her, as though _she_ were the one they needed to contain. Silence permeated the air, with only the muffled voices of nearby bystanders being heard within the carriage's doors.

It was a stark contrast to what she had experienced this morning. When Chelia got into Lamia Scale's carriage, she had been surrounded by laughter and cheers and words of encouragement. None of it was for her—it rarely ever was—but she enjoyed it nonetheless. She was happy to root for her friends and watch them win this year's Grand Magic Games.

Sure, her mood had been soured by the day's losses, but the ride to the stadium had still been fun.

The same couldn't be said here, however.

After she let the God Hunter (who may or may not also be the kid who saved her life many years back) escape, she'd been surrounded by Rune Knights, all suggesting they escort her to a safer location. Chelia had been hesitant to go with them; Rune Knights weren't really known for being kind to foreigners, especially not the Isvanian refugees who came to Ishgar after the Deliora Crisis. However, _Sherry_ believed they were right in wanting to get her away from the arena. And since Sherry was her legal guardian, she didn't really get much choice in the matter.

As always.

But as much as she'd hate to admit it, Chelia wished her cousin had come with her. For as misguided as her cousin was, Sherry's presence would've at least brought an air of comfort in this stuffy carriage.

She couldn't even open a window since there weren't any windows to open. This also meant her _**Aero Vision**_ was confined to this tiny, seemingly shrinking box. And since she didn't feel comfortable enough to dispel her only source of sight, she was forced to witness all of the Rune Knights' watching over her. Most of them had fairly neutral, if annoyed, expressions; a few scowled, and Chelia hoped it wasn't because of her; one of them was intensely focused on her, or more specifically, he was focused on the gaping hole in her top, located conveniently beneath her breasts.

One of the many downsides that came with her looking "mature" for her age.

In theory, she could've suffocated him to the point of passing out. She knew how long an average human could go without breathing, and spell to suffocate him wasn't all that difficult; just some simple air manipulation, applying the same principles as her _**Aero Vision**_ and _**Wind Cloak**_. All she'd have to do is create a small vacuum around his mouth and nostrils, preventing any air from entering them. It wouldn't take much magic, and with enough precision, she wouldn't even affect the Knights around him. It's probably what she should've done.

Instead, she simply crossed her arms over the hole, feeling the sleeves of her top pressing against her bare skin. There wasn't any wound there anymore; her healing magic had already patched her up before she left the stadium.

She stayed like this for the rest of the trip. Thankfully, the journey ended without any kind of incident. The Rune Knights let her out of the carriage and allowed her to be in her room by herself.

Well, they were still right outside the door, but since they were just past the limits of her vision, they might as well have not been there.

The first thing Chelia did was try to look for the remote to the hotel's TV. At least with the Rune Knights, she had something to keep her mind busy in the carriage's silence. Now, however, she was facing a whole different kind of silence. One that she needed to correct immediately, otherwise her thoughts would torment her with a never-ending montage of her failures, driving her once again to the dry tears that continued to plague her sleepless nights.

… That, and she was pretty sure the new _Medic Metal_ would be on soon. The main characters were currently in the middle of a tournament, and she wanted to know if they'd win so they could administer their cure-all medicine to their village's dying shrine maiden, whom one of the main characters has a crush on. It was one of the surprisingly few OTPs she had in the show, right next to GenSen.

But alas, the remote was nowhere to be found, meaning a deafening silence would be her only companion until Sherry returned from Domus Flau. Her cousin had to stay behind to clean up the mess that _she_ caused, all because _she_ just _had_ to go out there and fight the God Hunter! Now her friends could be kicked from the tournament, and it was all. Her. Fault.

All because she wanted to prove a point to her cousin.

Slumping down on her bed, her thoughts wandered back to her fight with the God Hunter. He was the first opponent in a far too long while that was actually willing to present her with a challenge. Maybe it was because he didn't know about her blindness, or maybe he did but didn't care. Either way, their battle had been exhilarating for her, and she hoped she could meet him again so they could finish it.

But of course, that wasn't the only reason she wanted to meet him again;

_"Time to go, Romeo!"_

_"Romeo!"_

_"Romeo!"_

_"Romeo…"_

It echoed in Chelia's head: the name of the boy she'd met so many years ago. She'd been the last person to ever see him, and he was the last person she ever saw. She wondered if the boy she fought today could really be the same person. The age would be right, assuming he was on the shorter end of the height spectrum. And he used the fabled "Titan Slayer Magic" he once dreamed of learning.

A burning sensation could be felt just below the young girl's forehead. She pressed her hands against her bandages, the pink light of her healing magic glowing beneath them. It didn't help. Seared onto melted eyelids was the image of a child being swallowed by flame and a domineering giant standing over them.

If Romeo and the God Hunter really were one in the same, then what happened to him? Why would he become a criminal?! He said he wanted to use his magic to help his family, not attack (presumably) innocent people!

And then there was his arm. What happened to it? Did he lose it when he saved her? Or did that happen after he was left behind? How much pain was he in after? She had only been burnt along her upper face, and had been given plenty of anesthetics and pain medication immediately afterward. He lost his entire arm! Did he get any treatment at all? Or was he in pain the whole time? What if he's still in pain? Has he been suffering for the last five years, all because of her mistake?!

Was that why he became a criminal? Is that why he attacks God Slayers? Because he wants revenge on the one who left him to die?!

Far too many questions swarmed within Chelia's head. She sat up on her bed in a meditation pose and began doing the breathing technique Jura had taught her. It was meant more for controlling her magic, but it did wonders with stress, too. And it did help her calm down... a bit.

So maybe it was the Romeo who saved her before? So what? It doesn't negate the fact that he's on the Magic Council's Most Wanted List now. And it's not like she put him there. Even if his goals were for revenge, she shouldn't hold herself responsible for what he's done.

Or at least, that's what she wanted herself to believe.

But she couldn't help but think of all the stories Macao-san had told her. He described his son as a kind, fun-loving child who'd never attack anyone without reason, a far cry from the ruthless God Hunter that's been appearing all over the recent news.

Yet he didn't seem all that ruthless during their fight, either. He didn't hold back against her (a fact Chelia immensely enjoyed), but she never felt like her life was in danger, or that she'd be beaten to a "bloody pulp" like all of his other victims supposedly were.

At this point, she wasn't sure what to believe.

Either way, she knew the God Hunter stuff could be put on hold for a little bit. She had much more immediate matters to think about, such as what Sherry would do to her once she got back to the hotel.

Yelling would probably be the first thing her cousin did since she hardly got a chance to back at the arena. It'd probably something along the lines of, _"You reckless, insolent child!"_ and, _"Do you have any idea how irresponsible your actions were?!"_ and, _"You could've been killed! You know you can't take on strong opponents!"_

As if on cue, her older cousin walked right into the room.

"You reckless, insolent child! Do you have any idea how irresponsible your actions were!? You could've been killed! You know you can't take on strong opponents!"

At this point, Chelia might as well have clairvoyance when it comes to her cousin. She grabbed a pillow and readjusted herself on the bed, knowing this may take a while.

"You'd better have a damn good explanation!" Sherry continued to rant, her eyes trying to burn holes into Chelia's blindfold. "Explain to me right now what the HELL you were thinking, trying to face the God Hunter on your own!"

Chelia sighed, wondering if there would be any point in trying. It's not like Sherry ever listened in the past. Still, maybe this time would be different.

"I wanted to show you that I'm not some weak little kid anymore," Chelia explained.

Sherry gave an angry laugh. "Hah! Well, a damn good job you did there! Just look at yourself!" She waved her hand around, gesturing to Chelia's whole body.

Physically, Chelia was completely fine. Because of her healing abilities, the only indication that she'd been in a fight earlier that day was her dress, which had definitely seen better days.

In addition to the massive hole in the garment, making it look more like something Sherry would wear, it also had several rips and scorch marks peppered all over it. But Chelia knew that her cousin wasn't _only_ concerned with whether or not she ended up naked on the battlefield. The bigger concern was the fact that, though the dress itself was designed to not be destroyed by magic attacks, it did little to _protect_ its wearer from them. So the fact that not one, but _several_ of the God Hunter's attacks managed to leave some serious damage on it caused Sherry to wonder what those attacks did to Chelia _herself._

"I know you can heal yourself, but you're not immortal!" Sherry continued to berate. Her voice was starting to get scratchy from all the yelling, and her hands were balled into fists, "One day, your idiotic recklessness will get you killed!"

_'Oh gods,'_ Chelia thought, _'Here comes the guilt trip.'_

"Do you think I want that!?" Tears started to fall down Sherry's face. "Do you think I want to see my baby cousin in a casket at fifteen? It's bad enough, what happened to you five years ago, but do you think I could handle it if I had to bury my only family!?"

Chelia glared with nonexistent eyes. _'Oh, you think __**you**_ _had it rough five years ago,'_ she wished she replied.

Sherry deeply inhaled. "And of course, your selfishness nearly cost us our spot in the games, too! You're lucky you're not a guild member because otherwise, we would've been out for sure!" She pinched the bridge of her nose, shaking her head. "I knew I made the right call in not letting you join the guild."

Okay, _that_ stung. Chelia lowered her head, not willing to say a word.

Sherry let her arms fall to her side. "I'm going to make a phone call. After that, I'll tell you what your punishment will be."

With that, Chelia felt Sherry leave the room. She decided not to use her _**Aero Vision**_ to follow her.

Chelia's body slumped on the side of the bed, glancing over at the nearest window. She couldn't actually see out of it since it wasn't open enough to let any air in or out, but she knew what was behind it: a whole world, with a wide-open sky that was just out of her reach.

Her body moved on its own. She stood up and walked over to the window. Her hands undid the little locking mechanisms keeping it shut. She lifted it up slowly, gently, feeling more and more of the fresh air pour into the stuffy room. There was no screen, no barrier preventing her from just jumping through to the other side. She could just leave—leave and do whatever she wanted. She could find the God Hunter, leave Fiore, join a guild, sign up for medical school, _anything!_

All she had to do was climb out this window…

But she couldn't. Hesitation held her back, and by the time she convinced herself that she might be able to do it, her cousin had finished her phone call.

"What are you doing?" Sherry asked as she walked back in the room, the edge still evident in her voice.

Chelia turned around to face her. "Oh, just, cracking open a window," she said, technically not lying, "Just… wanted to get some fresh air." Beads of sweat formed on her forehead.

Sherry sighed. "Alright." She walked over to the closet, opened it, and pulled something out of it. With a light toss and a heavy thud, it landed at Chelia's feet.

Chelia looked down at it in surprise, both from it flying towards her and from what the object was.

It was her traveling bag.

"Get packed," Sherry commanded, "You're staying with Macao-san for the rest of the week."

"What?!" Chelia screamed. She knew she'd be punished, but she figured she just wouldn't be allowed to see any more of the Games! She didn't think she'd be sent out of the city _entirely!_

"It's too risky to keep you here in the city," the older woman explained. "Now that you've gone and attacked the God Hunter, odds are he'll come after you." Her voice was much calmer now, and genuine concern started to poke through. "If you leave the city now, then maybe he won't be able to find you."

Chelia's jaw dropped. "But-!"

"Ah, no 'but's!" Sherry demanded, raising her index finger, "You'll be staying with Macao, end of story. While you're there, I expect you to be on your best behavior, got it?" Once again her eyes tried to burn holes into her cousin.

Chelia was at a loss for words. She could beat her cousin no problem in a duel of magic, regardless of if her cousin was letting her win (something she did all too often, much to her chargrin) or not. But in an argument, she was always the loser right from the start. All she could do was nod and agree.

"Got it…" she nodded and agreed.

Sherry grinned. "Good, 'cause he'll be here to pick you up this afternoon. So pack your things and get ready."

"Yeah, yeah." Chelia did as she was told, starting by taking all her clothes out of the hotel's dresser. She moved completely mechanically, not allowing a hint of emotion to escape her.

Sherry frowned at the display, wondering if she'd been too harsh. "Sherria?" her cousin called gently, using the girl's preferred name on purpose this time, "You know I'm doing this because I love you, right? And because I don't want you to get hurt?"

Neither Sherria nor Chelia responded. She continued to pack and fold her clothing as though her cousin never said a word.

The hours passed in silence, with the only noises being from Chelia readjusting the things in her bag and putting on a new dress. Sherry had been called back to the stadium some time ago, leaving Chelia to all by herself, with just the Rune Knights to keep her company until her cousin gets back to bring her to the train station.

"'Don't want me to get hurt,' huh?" Sherria whispered to herself, mocking her cousin's words in an empty room. Her fingers ghosted across her blindfold, acting as the tears she was no longer capable of shedding. "It's a bit late for that…"

* * *

By the time Sherry got back to take her cousin to the train station, night had fallen on Crocus. The two took a long, silent ride down to the station where Macao was waiting for them. Sherry greeted him politely, thanking him for coming on such short notice. Chelia, meanwhile, refused to speak. Macao had already bought his train ticket, so Sherry went to buy Chelia's. The younger Blendy offered to pay for it herself, but Sherry refused.

Afterward, the trio made their way to where the next train to Magnolia would be leaving. They still had about a half hour to kill, so they spent the time catching up; Macao talked about how he was finally considering joining a new guild, Sherry talked about her engagement with Ren, and Chelia hardly talked at all. Macao tried to coax some conversation out of her, but all he could manage were a few words at a time.

Finally, the train pulled into the station, calling for its passengers to get on board.

"Thanks again for coming on such short notice, Macao-san," Sherry said. Though Macao had been a good friend of the Blendys since the incident five years back, she was still worried that her request would inconvenience the man.

But naturally, that wasn't the case. "Not a problem." Macao smiled. "But drop the '-san,' would you? It makes me sound old." He looked towards Chelia. "You ready to go?"

Chelia nodded. "Yeah, I guess," she monotonously replied, pointing her face to the floor.

A sense of guilt washed over Sherry. She hated seeing her cousin like this, even if what her cousin did was extremely wrong and dangerous. She bent down to be on eye-level with Chelia, putting a hand on the younger girl's shoulder. "Hey, it's only for the rest of the Games, okay?"

Chelia sighed, "I know." And with that, Macao and her said their goodbyes and made their way into the line of people boarding the train. Macao boarded first, then Chelia stepped on to the platform.

"Hey," Sherry called, stopping Chelia. "I love you." She smiled.

Chelia faced her cousin with a blank expression, but then her lips twitched upwards. Not because of what her cousin said, but because of something she saw flying through the air. Hurriedly, she boarded the train.

* * *

**A Few Minutes Earlier;**

After Romeo's epic defeat in Domus Flau, Ban and him retreated to their "hideout" in the back alleys of Crocus. His fight against the girl he believed was Sherria had exhausted him in more ways than one, and now he was looking to get as much rest as he could before he'd have to leave the city.

Romeo's thoughts drifted back to the girl with a blindfold over her eyes. Just before he ended their fight, he'd caught a glimpse of what she was hiding under there. He understood why she hid them; though he preferred to wear his scars loudly and proudly, he knew they weren't the most attractive sight in the world. People would often give him strange looks, or they'd turn away from him, or, even worse, they'd pity him for having them. So it wasn't too hard to guess why she'd want to hide hers.

But his concerns weren't so much with why she was hiding them as they were with why she had them in the first place. He supposed he couldn't know for certain since he didn't actually get a good look at them, but he could take a wild guess:

He really did fail to save her all those years ago.

There was a certain comfort in knowing she was alive, but it's what she must've been through that really ate at him. Losing an arm was bad enough; he could only imagine what losing your vision was like. It was no wonder she'd want revenge on him; he must've put her through hell.

His skin became cold, unbearably so. His left side ached, feeling as though it was being continuously clawed at by a phantom. A constricting feeling wrapped itself around his head, threatening to crush his skull at any moment.

But it turned out that constricting feeling was merely Ban, who was in the middle of wrapping some far-too-tight bandages around the area Sherria kicked him in. Luckily there was a piece of cloth in the boy's mouth, otherwise, he would've screamed and given away their location. His body fidgeted as the bandages around his skull were tightened once again.

"Hold still!" Ban harshly whispered, pulling the bandages even more. "Honestly, you get yourself into so much trouble, then complain when you get hurt from it!" He ripped the bandage from its dwindling roll and smoothed it out on the boy's head, finally done treating his wounds, much to the Titan Slayer's relief.

Romeo took the cloth out of his mouth. "About time!" he whisper-yelled back, glaring at his companion.

"Oi! Am _I_ the one who got his arse kicked like a buffoon?"

Romeo was about to say something, but instead groaned and turned his head away, blushing.

"That's what I thought." Ban picked up the roll of bandages and the near-empty bottle of antibacterial spray and placed them back in the sack they came from. He then placed that sack next to a much larger bag filled with ancient-looking grimoires, each with a different elemental symbol on them.

The wolpertinger grabbed one of the books at random and waved it in front of Romeo. "Honestly! You put yourself through so much trouble just for these books?! What're they even good for?! You don't read them!"

"They're important, alright?" Romeo answered, but not really, "We just need to get as many of them as we can."

"Oh yeah?" Ban raised his eyebrow, "And do what with them?"

The boy refused to make eye contact with the rabbit-like creature. It was clear something was going on in that head of his, but it was impossible to tell what. All Ban could tell was that he seemed… sad about something.

Romeo lifted himself off the dusty old blanket he'd been treated on. His head still hurt and his sides ached, but he could still move around easily enough. Not easily enough for him to be comfortable in a fight, but enough for him to be able to run away from one.

He grabbed the book out of Ban's hand and placed it back in the bag with all the other God Slayer Books. Most of them he didn't actually get through fighting God Slayers; some he just happened to find laying around in some ruins, and others he found from idiots who didn't know what they had. But the ones he did get from God Slayers had some more... _interesting_ memories behind them. The one he just put back, which he believed was the _**Book of the Ice God**__, _had some especially interesting memories behind it.

"Look, we need to get out of here, okay?" Romeo explained, still not looking at his companion, "We can talk about this after we escape the Magic Council."

Ban groaned, "You always say that." His ears twitched, and his face filled with panic as he looked to the alley's entrance. "Speak of the devils."

Romeo's eyes widened. "They found us already?!" he whispered.

Ban shook his head. "No, but they will if we stick around. You're right, we gotta go!"

Romeo nodded. He grabbed the bag full of God Slayer Books, but Ban stopped him.

"What the hell are you doin'?!"

"We can't just leave them!" Romeo yelled, trying to lift the bag with only one arm. He grits his teeth as he picked it up off the ground. Normally he could do it just fine, but his still-open wounds made it near impossible. His arm felt as though it was being ripped from its socket. He dropped the bag of books, not wanting to repeat that experience.

The sound of footsteps was getting ever closer to them, to the point where Romeo could faintly hear it. "You're gonna have to!" Ban yelled, quickly grabbing some supplies before plucking Romeo off the ground and flying into the air, ignoring his protests. He watched two Rune Knights walk into their hiding spot, followed by several more when the first two signaled their companions.

"It seems someone was here recently," one of them said.

"Eh," another shrugged, "Probably just some homeless bum."

"I'm not sure about that…" a third responded, looking into a sack that had been left behind. He reached into it and pulled out a strange book.

Romeo gasped when he saw the Knights had already found the God Slayer Books. Fear rushed through him as he tried to summon what little magic power he had left. They were going to ruin everything! All of his efforts, wasted! His mom's last request, down the drain!

White sparks appeared around his hand. His teeth ground together, his brow furrowed, and his eyes burned a searing white. He would not let them take this from him! With a snap of his fingers, a piece of the night sky was burnt away.

_BOOM!_

The abandoned buildings surrounding Romeo's hideout began to collapse. The Knight who'd picked up a book dropped it, favoring his life. Rubble buried the alleyway and the sack of books, guarding them for now.

Romeo wasn't sure if all of the Knights managed to escape in time, but he knew that the ones who did were likely calling for reinforcements. He'd given away his and Ban's location with that little outburst and ruined his chances of escaping with the books. Staying would only mean getting caught.

Ban knew this, too. Without a word having to be spoken, the two flew off at full speed, searching for a means of escape.

"Head to the train station," Romeo commanded, seething with anger that wasn't entirely directed at his companion, "We'll catch a train to Magnolia. I know some people there who might be willing to help."

"Aye!" Ban nodded. Thankfully, there was a train station not too far from them. Pushing his maximum speed, he was able to fly there in under a minute.

The two of them began searching through a field of locomotives, hunting for any inbound to Magnolia. Once again, it didn't take long. Romeo had managed to spot one with its luggage car still open, so the two of them flew down to try and board it.

Then, it happened. Romeo didn't imagine it would happen this soon, but there she was. He saw her, standing right there, boarding the train he was about to get on. And though she didn't turn to face him, he could feel her gaze upon him, like a lioness hunting down her prey. The air seemed to stand still, and he wondered if it was because of her or his nerves. He didn't know the answer to that, but one thing he did know, one thing they both knew from this simple little stare was this:

They weren't done with each other just yet.


	4. The Same Coin

After her baby cousin had left, Sherry had decided that it was about damn time she got herself a drink. She began her long trudge through the streets of Crocus. Along the way, she heard the jeering voices of the people who watched Chelia's little display. She wished she had sicked one of her dolls on them, but her guild was on thin ice with the Games orchestrators already. She didn't need to add on to her cousin's mistakes.

She finally reached her destination in the form of Bar Sun, where she proceeded to order herself the strongest drink in the establishment with a little umbrella on top. Afterward, she collapsed right onto the nearest barstool. The physical exhaustion of the Games and the emotional exhaustion her baby cousin had caused her rushed at her faster than the train she watched Chelia rush away on.

She thought she was doing the right thing, sending her cousin away. Sherry knew Chelia was a good mage and a capable fighter, but mage work required a whole different skill set. One false move, and bam! Her cousin's dead in a ditch! Or splattered against a wall! Or eaten by a monster! Or being taken by some ruffians to do gods know what with her!

How could she in good conscience send her only family into that? She chose this lifestyle because she wanted to protect others from atrocities like Deliora. How could she let her cousin go off to potentially face something worse?

What's happened to her already was bad enough. She acts like she's recovered from it, but only in a physical sense. Her _**Aero Vision**_ might have replaced her sight, but it did nothing for the nightmares Sherry overheard her having almost every night, or the random pains she'd get in her face that she'd say were nothing.

It did nothing to relieve Chelia of her guilt.

Sherry knew what it was like to watch someone die. She'd seen her whole family slaughtered at Deliora's hands. She remembered her mother, reaching out to her before her whole body was vaporized by the demon's foul breath attacks. The only reason she survived was that she used her dolls to protect herself. She had done nothing to save the rest of her family.

She wouldn't make the same mistake again.

Her drink appeared in front of her. She slammed it down and asked the bartender for another. Though she used to shun Macao for his drinking habits, the truth was that she wasn't much better. Making the jump from being a demon worshipper to basically a single parent wasn't something she had been prepared for back in her teenage years, and since she hadn't really been making any money back on Galuna Island, alcohol wound up being much cheaper than therapy.

A second drink appeared in front of her, then a third. Eventually, she started to lose count.

Still, even with her drunken mind, there was one thing she knew for certain: she'd protect Chelia for as long as she could, even at the cost of her life.

The only reason she said she'd allow Chelia to join the guild when she was sixteen was that she physically couldn't stop her at that point. Sixteen was basically an adult in Fiore; from sixteen onwards, Chelia'll pretty much be her own legal guardian. She'd be able to move out and live on her own if she wanted.

Fortunately, there wasn't much sign of _Chelia _wanting to move out. But when Sherry thought of herself, the same couldn't be said.

It was actually one of the reasons she was postponing her wedding with Ren. Contrary to popular belief, the extreme delay on their wedding day was all her doing. Most people thought it was because of her fiance, and given his playboy nature, Sherry understood why. But the truth of the matter was that it was all because of her. But after Chelia turns sixteen, there won't be many excuses for her to stay and watch over her baby cousin, so she wanted to spend as much time with her as she could (which admittedly makes her recent actions a bit paradoxical). Ren understood this and was being very patient with her, but she was worried that one day he'd lose that patience.

Speaking— or rather, _thinking_—of the devil.

"Hey," a masculine voice called, drawing the doll mage's attention, "Not that I care, but I saw what happened with Chelia."

Sherry looked up with half-lidded eyes to see the man of her dreams, wearing his classic suit with his perfect, dark brown hair and deep wood-colored eyes. It surprised her to see him here, but she figured her guildmates must've told him where she was.

She watched her fiance sit his cute little butt in the empty stool next to her. "I think most of Fiore did," she slurred out, looking down at the countertop with a droopy frown.

Ren looked at his fiance. She was wobbling in her seat, with a deep red blush on her face that didn't come solely from her staring at his ass. He put his arm around her, pulling her toward him so she could rest her head on his shoulder. There were very few people at the bar, mainly due to the whole building being reserved for the guilds participating in the Games, so he didn't mind having a few public displays of affection. "So I guess you sending her away was true."

"Mm." Sherry nodded, accepting her beloved's shoulder and snuggling further into it. "Did my guildmates tell you that?"

He nodded. "Yeah."

"Bastards," she groaned, "And what el-_hhhiiiiccc!"_ Sherry bounced a little from her own hiccup. "-else did they say about it?"

Ren looked down, unresponsive. An uncomfortable silence washed over the couple. But Sherry still heard the message, loud and clear.

"Sherry," Ren finally broke the silence, "Did you know that I panicked when I first met Chelia?"

Sherry scrunched her eyebrows, staring up at her fiance. An amused smile formed on her lips. "What?"

"Well, you see, when I first saw you with her…" A light coating of pink appeared on the tsundere's face, a rather rare occurrence for him. "... I thought you were her mother."

"_Pfft, what!?" _Sherry laughed, shooting her back straight up and almost falling off of her seat before Ren caught her.

"It was the way you acted with her," an embarrassed Ren explained, a certain softness entering his voice, "You were so caring and patient, but also fierce and protective. At the time, I believed you would move the whole world if it meant keeping her safe."

Hearing that, her laughing stopped. She knew what he was getting at. With a shaky voice, she asked "...And now?"

Ren gulped, wondering if this was a hole he wanted to dig himself into. "And now… I'm not sure if she needs you to move the world for her. Judging by the way she fought, I'd say she's on the way to doing it herself."

Sherry looked to the ground, silently mulling over her fiance's words. "So what? I'm... _obsolete?_" she finally asked.

"No." Ren shook his head. "Back when Eve was just starting at the guild, Hibiki and I would baby him all the time." He looked into the distance, fondly recalling the memory of a young blond boy walking through his guild's doors for the first time. "But he couldn't grow like that. Of course, we were still there to protect him, but we had to recognize that he was plenty capable on his own.

"Perhaps you should try that with Chelia," Ren suggested, "Stay with her, protect her, but know that she can protect herself."

"But what if she _can't!?_" Sherry yelled, drawing attention to herself. "You know what happened to her before! What if that happens again!? What if something _worse _happens?!"

"That's a risk you both will just have to take." Ren's eyes turned deadly serious. "It's the risk all of us mages take when we join a guild. We know going in that we might not come out of it alive, that there might be that one job that does us in."

He let out a breath of air, and his eyes lost their edge. "But we'll still accept that job without hesitation, simply because we know we're going to help someone. You used to call acts like that 'LOVE~!'" He did a high pitched, squeaky version of Sherry's voice as he said the word 'LOVE~!'. "Remember?"

Sherry lightly punched his arm. "I don't sound like that," she complained, even though the corners of her lips were twitching upwards.

"No," Ren sighed, looking disappointed in himself, "Unfortunately, the sweet melody of your voice is impossible to mimic."

Sherry rolled her eyes, knowing the only reason he was being this caring was that there weren't many people around to see it. But that fact didn't stop her mouth from breaking into a smile.

"Even still, it's hard to think about Chelia going into all that," Sherry stated. Another drink appeared in front of her, causing Ren to notice the empty glasses next to her.

"How many of those have you had?

"Mmm…" Sherry drunkenly pondered, "Seev-levennn…"

Ren sighed. "Yeah… let's take you back to the hotel." He stood back up and reached out a hand to help Sherry up.

"_Noooo!" _Sherry pouted, swatting his hand away with all the strength of a dying hamster. "I don't need to- to- _Aughhh-rrraghhrhhrrh!" _She gagged, throwing up on the countertop. After a few pants, she glanced at her fiance and reached out a limp hand.

Looking away from the mess Sherry had just made, he pulled her off her seat and pulled one of her arms around his shoulders. He then put his arm around her waist so he could hold her up. "Bartender," he called behind him, "Just… put all that-" He made a vague gesture with his free hand to where Sherry had been sitting. "-on Blue Pegasus' tab."

And with that unfortunate incident, he carried his future wife back to her hotel, hoping she wouldn't ruin his shoes along the way.

* * *

**On The Train;**

After leaving the station, Macao started describing all of the scenery the train passed by. He figured that since Chelia always liked it when he did that as a kid, doing it now could get her out of her funk. But just one look at her told him she wasn't paying attention. The familiar breeze of her _**Aero Vision **_wasn't even on him, so for all he knew, she could've been asleep this whole time.

She wasn't, though. She wasn't even truly upset anymore. Sure, she was still a little pissed at her cousin for sending her away, but at the same time, her punishment had given her the perfect opportunity for redemption!

The only thing that bothered her now was that she didn't know what _exactly _she'd be redeeming herself for...

She did her best to hide her excitement. If she was right, and what she saw was in fact what she thought she saw, then this could be her second chance! It would make sense for the God Hunter to want to flee Crocus, with all the Rune Knights swarming the city. Obviously, the fastest way to do that would be by train.

But why would he go to Magnolia?

'_Maybe it's just a coincidence?' _Chelia thought_, 'The trains are all messed up because of the Games. Maybe this was the only available one?'_

But Chelia could think of another reason, and she didn't know if she wanted to believe it or not. She looked up at Macao, wondering if it would be fair to tell him what she thought, what she _knew_. But did she really want to get his hopes up? He'd been crushed when he lost his son the first time; could she really do that to him again?

Then again, who would better recognize Romeo than the man who raised him? Maybe if he'd seen the God Hunter's attack, he could relieve her of her suspicions. Slowly, she asked the question, "Macao-san, did you… see what happened at the Games today?"

And unfortunately, Macao shook his head. "No," he said, "But I heard plenty from Sherry."

Chelia flinched as he said her cousin's name.

"Listen, I know this is probably something you've heard before..." Chelia knew exactly what the older man was going to say, and he was right about her having heard it before, _over and over again_. "...But you're cousin is really trying to look out for you. You're all she has left after—" He gasped, putting a hand to his mouth and looking fearfully at the young girl, but he knew he was too late.

A chill ran through Chelia's spine, knowing exactly what he was referencing. Though she was only an infant when Deliora attacked, she still had to grow up in the aftermath of it: thousands left homeless, tens of thousands left for dead, economic collapse, governmental collapse, and then never-ending paranoia of another attack. All of Isvan fell into ruin.

Many neighboring countries, especially the Pergrande Kingdom, took advantage of Isvan's weakness. Already the battles on her country's borders have been written off as mere skirmishes, but she knew the truth. A "skirmish" would imply both sides were fighting against each other, but most Isvanians at the time were suffering far too much from injury, starvation, and sickness to even try and fight back. No, what happened there was nothing short of an "extermination."

Then the Magic Council descended. At first, the Isvanians believed them to be angels. They helped defend the nation's borders and stopped a majority of the fighting. The only ones they didn't stop were the Pergrandians, and it was only after people saw this that they realized that the wings on the back of the Rune Knights weren't those of an angel, but those of a vulture. And with their talons, they tore away the flesh of her homeland, leaving not even skeletons in their wake.

She could still faintly hear the sounds of Rune Knight's marching into her family's home, taking her and her family to gods know where. The memory of freezing stone pricked at her skin. Her arms wrapped themselves around her body, holding her tightly as her quivering fingers dug into her skin. The small pocket of her _**Aero Vision **_shrank to nothing, leaving her in her own darkness.

"-elia! Chelia" Macao called to her, snapping her back to reality. A look of worry covered his face. "Chelia, I'm sorry, it was my mistake to bring it up."

Chelia nodded. "Yeah, it was," she responded coldly.

An awkward silence (though it couldn't really be called "silence," what with everyone else on the train having their own conversations, completely unaware that there was supposed to be an awkward silence going on) fell between the two. Macao shifted uncomfortable, while Chelia kept her hands on her knees, pretending to look out the window.

After a minute, Macao spoke again. "Listen, Chelia, what I meant to say was… Sherry doesn't want to lose you." He looked out the window, watching them pass through the forest just on the outskirts of Magnolia. For a second, he could've sworn he saw a little boy running through those woods, trying out his fire magic for the very first time.

But the boy's image faded, so Macao looked back at Chelia. "She's just trying to do what she thinks is best. Maybe she's wrong. Hell, I know I was more than a few times," he somberly laughed, unintentionally causing even more guilt to bite down into Chelia.

"But… she's trying her best, alright? Even if you don't agree with her, can't you at least give her that?" He asked.

"Besides…" His tone grew darker. "Did you really think you'd just _get away_ with jumping in the middle of Domus Flau?" He glared at her.

Chelia shrunk down in her seat, arms crossed. "If I beat him, yeah…"

Macao sighed, placing a hand on his forehead. He was almost reminded of a different young man with similarly colored hair.

A sigh left his lips. "Did you have anything before we left?"

Chelia shook her head.

"Alright, then after dinner, I want you to go to the guest room and _stay there _for the rest of the night." The train was starting to pull into the station, and already the two of them could see people starting to get up. "You're on house arrest until your cousin comes to pick you up at the end of the week. You can visit the Mines, but _that's it." _He waved a finger at her, feeling a bittersweet sense of familiarity.

The train finally pulled into Magnolia Station. Macao stood up, and with an outstretched hand helped Chelia up. The two grabbed their things and departed for the Conbolt residence in order to get some rest, completely unaware that their night was only just beginning.


	5. A Midnight Walk

Romeo was not happy.

Well, he was _kinda _happy—the girl he thought was dead for the last five years is actually alive and well, though he still isn't sure what happened to her eyes.

But other than _that_, he wasn't happy.

The plan was supposed to be simple: fly into Domus Flau, beat up Orga, something, something, get the **_Book of the Lightning God_** and profit! There weren't supposed to be _any _complications, _especially _not complications as _complicated _as her!

He cursed, punching the nearest wall. It was one source of torment down for the price of several more.

And now every single goddamned God Slayer Book he'd so _painstakingly _gathered for the last several _years _of his life was in the hands of the _fucking_ **_MAGIC COUNCIL! _**Of **ALL **fucking people!

Worst of all, he couldn't do _shit _about it! Not until the Rune Knights and Royal Guard cleared away, anyway. He caught a few of the latter being alerted as he flew over Crocus with Ban. His train was probably the last to not be swarmed by the King's dogs.

Though like dogs, he doubted they'd stop hunting down their prey anytime soon. He'd made the Magic Council's "Most Wanted" list, after all. He wasn't at the top of it (despite his best efforts), but he was still high enough to be worth a pretty jewel to anyone who'd turn him in. Which brought him to another thing he had to worry about; random people calling the cops on him.

It wouldn't take long for his image to be all over Fiore if it wasn't already. Jumping into the middle of the most televised event of the year might not have been his brightest idea (Not that he'd admit that to Ban).

And of course, _how _could he forget that Sherria was _also _on the same train as him? He watched her board right before he did. Why she didn't come after him was nothing short of a miracle, but he'll take a miracle at this point.

But he wasn't in the clear yet. He and Ban would still have to watch their steps (Or maybe "flaps" in Ban's case. Wing flaps? Wings flap? Eh, not important.) in order to avoid getting caught.

Which was why the two of them had decided to don disguises.

Romeo decided on a pretty strapless violet sundress, one that he got tailored just for him by a kind Seveneese seamstress a few months back. He unbraided his hair, now sporting a simple ponytail held up by his necklace. Just enough makeup covered his face to make it look a little off from his usual appearance. Transformation Magic hid away his tattoos and scars. Completing the look was a pair of heels

Now to be clear, the boy had no intention of being mistaken for a girl. He simply enjoyed looking like this and figured that no one would believe that the "brutish and ruthless" God Hunter would wear a dress and makeup. Plus, he thought the dress brought out his eyes, and that the makeup really highlighted his cheekbones.

Ban also disguised himself. The wolpertinger had gone the much simpler route of making himself look like an ordinary rabbit, also employing the use of some light Transformation Magic. He also had to Requip away his cloak, making him feel naked even though his cloak didn't cover much, anyway.

Currently, the "rabbit" was laying atop Romeo's head, getting some much-needed rest after all of the bullshit his partner had put him through earlier that day. His weight was starting to put some strain on Romeo's neck, but the boy wouldn't bother him; he decided it was best to leave him like that.

The two of them snuck into the nearest passenger car and waited patiently for the train to stop in a few minutes. Romeo knew that Sherria wouldn't be in this one; he watched her go into the one a few cars behind his. Still, that didn't mean that wouldn't have to high-tail it out of the station the second the train landed.

And he did just that. Romeo sprinted toward the exit with all of the speed that a boy in heels could muster. The boy felt his companion bob and bounce on his head, somehow not being roused from his slumber.

He decided to run in the opposite direction of his destination. While he certainly _wanted_ to reach Fairy Tail before morning, the guild was in the same direction as his house, meaning that Sherria and his father would also be going that way. His best bet was to hang back awhile before heading to the guild and setting up camp for the night. Once his dad came to open up the guild, he'd explain his situation and ask for his help.

Romeo stopped dead in his tracks.

His_ DAD! _

Embers floated around the boy. How was he going to explain all of this _to his dad?! _He was a wanted criminal! A thief! A mugger! A terror to God Slayers across Ishgar! Even the Magic Council feared his power!

Okay, now he was just bragging, but his point still stood. Romeo would have to explain to his dad, who he hasn't seen for five years, not only _why_ he was a _wanted criminal_, but also why what he was doing was actually _right._ What would he think? Would he even believe him?

Would he even care that he was back?

It was suddenly unbearably hot for the fire mage. Sweat beaded along his forehead. Heavy, labored dragons' breaths escaped the boy's throat. White flames surrounded him on all sides, blurring out the world around him.

The boy reached back for his necklace. The hearth's calming, bittersweet flames suppressed the raging inferno around him. He breathed in and out, in and out, in and out, until he was finally back in control of his own breath.

Romeo was back in Magnolia again. This was both what just occurred and the thought the boy desperately tried to hang onto to avoid thinking of anything else. Everything else can wait until tomorrow morning, he decided. His only goal for the night was to reach Fairy Tail's guildhall and get some rest.

The only issue with that was that he was now on the opposite side of town. His attempt at getting away from Sherria and his father had been a little _too _successful, and now it'll take him forever just to backtrack to the station.

But he decided to keep looking at the bright side of things. It was a lovely night, and the walk would allow him to get acquainted with the city he grew up in. He wondered if anything had changed since he left.

So far, nothing looked too different. Tall houses and merchant stores surrounded him on all sides. The main library that he and Levy-nee used to go to was still exactly where it used to be. As was the place where he and his dad used to go for pizzas, though now it looked to be under new ownership. And of course, smack in the middle of the city was Kardia Cathedral, one of the three most important churches in Fiore.

He'd only stepped inside the Cathedral a handful of times. His father wasn't exactly a religious man, and if he was being honest, neither was he. And although he'd been raised by a Titan, he still lacked faith in any so-called "gods" actually giving a shit about anything going on in the world. In fact, his adoptive mother had only done more to shatter the idea of the benevolent gods which the church worships.

His head drooped. Happy thoughts, he reminded himself, happy thoughts.

He remembered the time his dad told him about his and his mother's wedding. The church had refused them, calling his dad a "pervert" and "drunkard" and his mother a "harlot" and "abomination in the eyes of her creators." Not that they were wrong, at least if his dad's account of his mother was anything accurate. He'd actually need to meet her in person to make that judgment call.

But their wedding was still a nice one, so he'd heard. Macao and Enno were joyfully married within the walls of Fairy Tail's guildhall, with the whole guild wishing them future happiness (oh how that turned out). Seven short months later, Romeo Conbolt was born.

Romeo stopped for a minute, blinked, and continued walking down the city streets.

He then stopped at a place he remembered all too well: the curb where Natsu-nii had brought his dad back. It was the day he first started idolizing the Fire Dragon Slayer, though he'd certainly admired the mage beforehand. The boy wanted to grow up to be just like him. He wanted to be a hero to all those in need and a protector to his friends and family.

Romeo decided to take a detour. A short way away from the Cathedral, once again in the opposite direction of Fairy Tail, was Magnolia's cemetery. There someone there who he needed to talk to, and possibly ask for some advice.

Naturally, the cemetery's gate was locked at this hour. He quickly checked to see that no one was around him, then poked Ban a few times to rouse the wolpertinger from his slumber.

"Nyurghah?" mumbled Ban, letting out a yawn, "What part of 'let me sleep' didn't you understand?"

Romeo whispered, "I need to get over this fence."

Ban looked up, his tired eyes staring at the fence. "You could hop that yourself. You're not that much of a munchkin."

A tic-mark appeared on Romeo's forehead. "I _figured _that climbing over would wake you up, anyways," he silently growled, "And I am _not _a munchkin! I'm a perfectly average height for someone my age!"

Ban rolled his eyes. "Aye. Perfectly average for a munchkin."

The wolpertinger then dispelled his Transformation Magic, his horns and wings sprouting back up from his body. He then flew down to the boy's back, grabbed it, and vaulted him over the fence, causing the boy to stumble as he landed and scuff one of his heels.

"These were expensive, you know!" Romeo glared.

"Whatever."

And with that, the wolpertinger transformed back into a rabbit and went back to sleeping on the boy's head. Romeo was alone once again.

He walked through the graveyard, passing the various gravestones that filled the plot of land. There were a few names he knew, and plenty he didn't. Several of the graves were definitely ones that only popped up in the last few years. It saddened to see that old Mrs. Periwinkle from down the street had passed on; he never properly talked to her, but he remembered that she used to give out full-sized candy bars on Halloween.

These thoughts accompanied him as he searched through the rows of graves, desperately searching for a certain one. His time away has dulled his memory of this place, or perhaps he forgot it on purpose. Either way, he was having trouble finding the grave he was looking for.

Until he did.

"Hey, Natsu-nii… It's been a while..."

_Natsu Dragneel_

_August 7, x767—December 16, x784 _ **[1]**

"We fall when we are weak, but what we do next, shows that we still have our true strength locked within, waiting for you to get up!" **[2]**

The boy sat down in front of the grave. Soft, wet grass and dirt met with his hands and fingers, reminding him of the hollowness that sat below them. Natsu's body was never found, after all. There was nothing here but an empty casket and a carved-up rock to mark it. Maybe if there were at least a body, Romeo could use his **_Empathic Sense _**to try and make some connection with Natsu's spirit. But perhaps it was for the best that there wasn't a body, since it would save him the heartache of being wrong.

So he'll settle for talking to an empty grave. It wouldn't be the first time he talked to himself, and definitely not the last. But being home at last, with the hollow earth beneath him and the endless night sky above him, it might be time for him to catch up with himself.

"A lot has happened since you left." Romeo gave a hollow chuckle, still holding the slightest embers of hope that the grave in front of him may respond. "You wouldn't believe the stuff I've been messing with. Titans... God Slayers..." He shook his head. "It's been one hell of a ride..."

"I got to travel a lot." He smiled. "Mainly on my own, but I did end up meeting this guy." His hand lightly patted his slumbering companion, careful not to wake him. "He's been pretty alright. Not much like Happy, a bit grumpier," the boy thought aloud, "but he knows how to cook pretty well, and he's gotten me out of a number of tough spots." Charcoal eyes softly looked up at the wolpertinger. "He's got a weird thing with knives, though.

"I've also got this cool arm," Romeo said as he summoned his flame arm. He was careful to not make it too bright since he didn't want anyone to see him, and he put it away after a few seconds of "showing" it to his big brother. "Takes up a bit of magic power, but it works a hell of a lot better than the original, so I'd call it an upgrade." His eyes fell down to the ground.

"I've, uh, also met this woman… well, _Titan_, but she could transform into a woman," he explained, "Her name's Pyrchiale. She's the one who taught me my Fire Titan Slayer Magic. I lived in her volcano for about two years, before she just… left…" Dark purple hair cast a shadow over the boy's eyes. "I don't know where she went, so I've been, uh, I've been doing the last thing she asked me to do, hoping somehow I'd find her again.

"She wanted me to find all of the **_Demon God Books_**. She told me about how dangerous they were, but I..." he sighed, "I lost them."

He put his hand on his face. "Titans, I'm such a screw-up. How'd you do it, Natsu-nii?" The child looked to his idol. "How'd you get over Igneel just _leaving _you?"

Romeo huffed, putting his hand back on the ground to lean on. "I suppose you didn't, did you?" he sighed again, "I asked, but Pyrchiale said she didn't know where Igneel went. Last time she saw him was four hundred years ago…"

* * *

The boy chuckled. "And now, here I am, looking for her…" His eyes drooped downwards, recalling the night he'd first met Pyrchiale.

_The first thing I notice when I wake up is that it's hot as hell! It felt so ... _**_weird_****.** _Even on the hottest days of the summer, I feel completely fine. Totomaru-sensei told me it was because fire mages have a natural resistance to heat._

_I open my eyes to see the night sky right above me, framed by walls of stone. I'm pretty sure I'm sitting on stone as well, if the pain in my back is any indication. My left side also stings a lot, but I'm not really sure why._

_My head rolls to its side, then I jump in the opposite direction. LAVA! There's fucking _ ** _LAVA _ ** _right next to me! Or is it magma?! I think I'm underground, so it might be… oh, who gives a fuck!? Why is there _ ** _magma _ ** _right next to me?!_

_I'm so preoccupied with figuring out where I am and why there's fucking magma next to me that I don't notice someone else is approaching._

"You're_ awake!" gasped a female voice. Propping myself up with my right arm (my left is feeling kinda numb for some reason), I see a middle-aged woman standing before me. Her skin reminded me of obsidian, and her white hair was large and curly, and it moved almost like flames in the wind. She wore a sleeveless blue and white flame-patterned dress, exposing the intricate flame tattoos on both of her arms and the odd triangle tattoo on her left shoulder._

_She rushed over to my side, careful not to spill the contents of the bowl she was carrying. Setting the bowl aside and kneeling in front of me, she asked, "How are you feeling?" She sounded awfully worried, and I noticed that she was doing weird stuff with her hands. It was like she wanted to reach out and touch me, but was afraid I'd break on contact._

"I-I'm_ fine," I answer, unsure why I wouldn't be. I look around, and notice the person I was with isn't there anymore. "Where's Sherria?"_

_The woman tilted her head. "Who?"_

"_The girl I was with," I explain, "Around my age, pink hair, God Slayer."_

_The woman's eyes widened. She looked away from me, bringing her hand to her mouth as her whole body shook. "God…. _ ** _Slayer_ ** _?" Fear permeated her orange irises as she said the last word. "So she wasn't… oh no… not another…" She quickly turns her head towards me. "And you said she was… your age?"_

_I nod. "Yeah…?"_

"_Oh, dear," her voice quivered. Hurriedly, she asks, "Tell me, when did you last see her?"_

"_When I jumped in front of her to protect her from the Fire Titan. I suppose she's probably fine, if I came out okay," I laugh._

_But the woman doesn't find it funny. "You mean… you don't feel it?"_

"_Feel what?" I ask, then notice that she's not looking me in my eyes. Following her line of sight, I gasp at what I see is there._

_Or rather, what _ ** _isn't _ ** _there._

_"Aah...Ahhhh!" Searing pain rushes through my left side. I grip the place my left arm used to be with my right hand_. _My vision starts to fade, turning into nothing more than brown and orange blurs. Despite my stomach's emptiness, my body still tried to throw up._

_The woman reaches out and puts her hands on my shoulders. A warm feeling spreads through my body, and it isn't like the searing heat of the lava. It's more like when you sit by the fireplace at home after spending a few hours in the snow. It's… comforting._

_Obviously, the missing arm still hurts, but I'm much calmer now. The woman in front of me smiles a little. I guess she's the one who did that._

_But naturally, I find a new thing to worry about. If this is what happened to me, then what happened to Sherria? Did I save her? Was I able to protect her? Or did she lose a limb, too? Or what if something worse happened to her?! What if I only made it worse for her?! _

_My hands shake. Sweat, not caused by the volcanic heat, forms on my forehead. This woman doesn't know what happened to her, so what if she's... what if she's...!_

"_I sense that you're afraid._" _She drew my attention. "But not for yourself. You also seem guilty because of this fear." She gave me a sad smile. _

_"Don't think for a second that whatever has happened to her or you is your fault. If it is anyone's, it is mine." She lowers her head, and with a voice I could just barely hear, says, "You were trying to protect her from _ ** _me_ ** _, after all…"_

* * *

"Natsu-nii…?" the boy gingerly whispered to the night sky, "Why do the people we love… always seem to hurt us the most?"

Silence filled the open air, with the only noise being the rustling of grass in the wind. His soul started to feel heavier. Rain dripped down onto the boy's hair, and he could've sworn a single drop landed on his cheek. The moistened dirt threatened to pull him in. Nearby fireflies ran to hide from the storm.

"Thanks for the talk, Natsu-nii."

Romeo stood up and wiped some of the dirt off the backside of his dress. Unfortunately, he couldn't use his **_Flame Arm_** to protect himself from the rain, as it would immediately alert anyone around that he was the God Hunter. So he just kept walking through the graveyard, not caring about the rain falling on him, only lifting his hand to protect Ban's head from getting wet.

But as he walked through the rain, he noticed a grave that was out of place. Not out of place geographically, mind you, as it _was_ in a graveyard, which is typically where graves go. No, he meant out of place as in it _should not exist_. He actually had to double-check that the tombstone in front of him was real.

Because that tombstone was _his._

_Romeo Conbolt_

_June 20, x775—June 19, x785_

_Died as a hero, just like his idol._

He dropped to his knees. Everyone thought he was _dead?! _ How could that be!? Is that why he never saw any search parties looking for him? Did everyone just write him off as dead?

What about his friends? What about Fairy Tail? Did they just _give up_ on looking for him?

What about his father? What did he have to say about this? There's no way he could've just… _abandoned _his son! There's no way his dad just left him for dead. He _wouldn't _just leave him for dead…

… right?

The rain continued to beat down on the softened earth. Despite the surrounding darkness, the boy could see the answer clear-as-day in front of him.

"Depressing, isn't it?"

A familiar voice pulled him from his thoughts. His head snapped behind him, and his eyes widened like saucer at what they saw.

Approaching the boy was a young girl, almost exactly his age, minus a few hours. Ash brown bangs covered her eyes, with no green cap to be seen. Her old pink bows and dresses had been foregone for a more punkish-tomboy look, one that made Romeo nearly mistake her for a boy. A strange guild mark which the boy had never seen before adorned her right shoulder. Rain trailed down her freckled face.

Lindsey Mine stepped right up next to the boy, hardly paying attention to him. Her golden eyes were locked onto the tombstone in front of her. She chuckled darkly, as the grave's inscription had always amused her.

"It's funny, really," she didn't laugh, "We're all 'heroes' in death..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [1] August 7th is the date I'm headcanoning that Natsu joined Fairy Tail, since I don't think there was an official date (though please correct me if I'm wrong). Obviously, we don't know when Natsu's or any of the 1st/3rd Gen Dragon Slayer's real birthdays are, but I'm down with the headcanon that Makarov had Natsu's be the day he joined the guild. As for the x767 date, Natsu was probably around 10 when he joined, so x777-10=x767. 
> 
> [2] An actual Natsu Dragneel quote... I think. Idk, I've looked around, but I can't find the episode or manga chapter he says this in.


End file.
